whoppers and undershirts

I need at least 2 more weeks of pre-Christmas. I am not ready for the anticipation and bustle and festivities and spirit to end. Happily we have our annual trip to The Beach to look forward to or else I think I'd be pretty sad to see Christmas come and go so quickly. Here are just a few notes about what's been going on at our house lately mixed in with some pictures that I took of the kids a couple of Sundays ago. I had to bribe them with Whoppers to get them to cooperate for a few photos in their church clothes and as soon as I got a couple that I thought were okay the kids stripped off their clothes and sat down in front of the tree to enjoy their treat. I was folding up their clothes and watching them out of the corner of my eye when I realized that THOSE were actually the moments that I wanted recorded on my camera. I started snapping from the corner and truly ended up with some of my most favorite photos that I have of my children. I love that they are in their undershirts. I love that they are (mostly) not looking at the camera. I love that I can really feel who they are when I look at the photos.





George has been really into Luigi, our elf. He loves finding him every morning and yesterday was pretty thrilled when a man at the gas station told him that Santa came and told the man that George had been a very good boy. We got out to the car and George exclaimed to his Daddy, "Luigi HAS been telling Santa that I've been good! That man said Santa knew!"




The one gift that George has been consistent about asking for is a red ninja Lego set. I had no clue if those were even a real thing until we braved Toys R' Us to see an entire aisle dedicated to Ninjago. Who knew? I mean, besides George, obviously? His request was put into Santa and George is certain Santa will come through.




Pearl talks about Santa Claus and sings Santa Claus is Comin' to Town (the "so be good for goodness sakes! about kills me) and totally attempts a deep voice as she mimics, "Bye Buddy! Hope find DAD!" (If you don't know that movie I am not sure we can be friends.) She doesn't get that Santa is bringing presents really, but I know she'll love opening them and finding treasures inside. If you ask her what she wants for Christmas she tells you "a baby," but I think that's an idea her brother gave her (though she is in fact getting a baby that I know she'll love).




She is now able to have full on conversations of back and forth dialogue where she understands what she is being told/asked and answers appropriately. Most of her phrases are between 4-7 words now and it seems like she is talking more every day. I keep telling myself that I need to get her little voice recorded more often because she'll be out of this phase so quickly.

(These might be my favorite pictures of her ever.)

This morning George came into our bedroom after he woke up. I had just slipped back into bed after getting home from the gym and showering so I smiled at him and motioned for him to come join me. He walked over to my bedside, bent down and gave me a big kiss on the lips before turning around to go to the bathroom. It melts me so much that that is who this boy is. He is so tender, so affectionate, so dear, and it is just so naturally who he is. My family watched our kids last night while J and I attended a party and my mom reported that they had watched John's and my wedding video and George could not stop kissing the TV screen whenever I came on. (She also mentioned that Pearl screamed and sobbed every time she saw me in the video because she wanted me. So nice to be so loved :).)






Pearl has been attending nursery at church for a few months now. She was slightly hesitant at first, but after a few minutes of John or me waiting with her she would warm up and get playing with the other kids and we could leave. Now one of the nursery workers (a charming old grandpa) comes and takes her out of my arms immediately after Sacrament meeting and Pea happily goes right with him into nursery. We periodically go check in on her, but she is always fine and happy. Hooray for being able to sit through Sunday School and Relief Society lessons.



Last week one of our chickens (Willa) was getting pecked by the others and was bleeding and not doing well. George was very concerned about her and as we were driving home from my parents' house to check on her we heard George in the back seat praying to Heavenly Father that she wouldn't be dead when we got home. We went into the backyard to find Willa doing better and George said, "Sometimes prayers come true, huh?"

(Here are a few of the photos of them in their church clothes)

To finish up tonight I want to briefly mention how grateful we feel as a little family for the many ways that blessings have been poured out upon us recently. We are in the middle of making some very big decisions for our family about where we want to end up next year as John begins his PhD program and we have felt so guided and directed throughout the whole process. Part of the process began a couple of months ago when we made the decision that John should quit his early morning job at UPS. This was a leap of faith for us in many ways and I struggled to know if we would be able to really make it without the benefits and security that the job provided for us. It truly has been humbling for us to see how God's Hand has been evident in the details of our family throughout these past couple of months. From unexpected envelopes of money on our door to extended insurance benefits that we didn't know about, we have had countless confirmations that if we try our best to follow the spirit and to be in tune with what God's will for our family may be, things will work out and we will be happy. I feel overwhelmed when I take time to really think about how immeasurably we've been blessed. I am so grateful this Christmas season for our Savior and for my personal faith in Him. I don't just have blind faith and I don't always feel so certain about everything, but I have had enough personal experience with really trying hard to seek God's will for me and then being blessed so abundantly as I make those decisions that I am certain of His influence in my life and I am certain that He loves His children. I feel grateful to celebrate His birth, life, and atonement this weekend.

Merry Christmas, dear friends!

the fall i was going for (mostly)

I have to purge my mind of the guilt from not posting these photos. There are lots. Just so you know.

We spent a lovely fall day up at John's grandparents' cabin in Midway clear back in October. Yes, I'm going back there (not to worry, I'll be re-visiting summer once Christmas is over). I brought the camera along and snapped a few photos.



This was only a couple of months ago and already she seems so much bigger to me now than she was then. Someone get me a new baby. Mine is gone.



Lisa and I were laughing about how perfectly Pearl decided to pose with her little leaf. Yes little lady, just hold that fall leaf up in the air, twirl it around daintily and beam at it for an extended period of time so I can take your picture. 




Loved that leaf-littered path.




Here are my children sitting nicely on a rock:


And here they are making out on the rock:


I've said it before and I'll say it again: kissing is serious business in this family.

I just like these two people so so much.


Someone (maybe Lisa?) demanded the camera so that she could snap a shot of our family. I wish I could love this picture but I totally look like I have a horrific bowl-cut going on with my hair so it's a little hard. I am trying though because I really love it of the other, normal hair-styled members of my family.


To wrap a little bow on my Fall posts (ah! I haven't posted about Halloween! Maybe I won't?) I'll finish off with a plethora of photos from an afternoon that we spent at our neighborhood park just a few weeks ago. The weather was starting to get nippy, but it was the definite space of Fall before Winter. I had not planned on taking many photos and only brought the camera along as an afterthought. I had planned to read a book and lounge while the kids played but those darn leaves drew me in. Also, George and Pearl were being so cute and it is a crime to ignore cuteness when you have a camera in tow to capture the moments. So basically my book sat on a bench by itself the whole time.


I love G's face in this first shot. A little bit smirky, a little bit mischief, a little bit sweet.


Pearl is so easy to take pictures of when she will actually cooperate because of those big eyes. And those big teeth. Oh how I love those teeth.


"Saucy minx" is a new phrase that Pearl has been spouting out lately. Because she hears me call her that frequently.




"Hey kids! Come lay in these leaves and let me drop some down on your faces! Sounds fun, right?"



Haha, this one of them with matching leaves covering their mouths is funny to me. George was doing that on his own so I told Pearl to do it as well.


These were ones they threw on themselves :).



They wanted me to bury them with leaves. So I did.



George was loving riding his bike through the leaves to make them crunch and break apart. And Pearl's little face is so funny to me, flinching away from a handful of leaves thrown her way (thank you, George).


Leaf-littered paths seem to be a theme in this post, no?




Pearl looks so concerned in this one.


Look at all those leaves! We were lucky to catch them before the clean-up guys came to blow them away.


After sufficient time frolicking and laying in leaves we made our way back to the playground. I tried to entice them over to the slides so that I could sit down and read, but they insisted on playing on this big cement wall that I was sure Pearl was going to fall off of. So I stayed close by. It worked out because I got a few pictures with those barren tree branches in the background that I ended up really liking.



Aren't those branches cool? I was really enjoying them. (As you can see.)



They were pretending and playing so well together. I was spying on them through this random cut-out in the wall.



I mostly included this because that first picture cracks me up. I so love how George has Pearl captured and distressed with a simple stick to her hood. And oh his smirk. He doesn't typically tease (in fact, he usually hates teasing/being teased), but when he does it is good.


I love her little toddler legs negotiating those stairs.


We finally did make it back to the playground, but the light was almost gone so I only snapped a few pictures.



I love his handsome face so much.


And her bright, sweet face, too.



And finally, a token shot of the leaves because they are pretty. And because I like that Pearl is crying in the background.


Whew. Now I can post about winter/Christmas activities without all the guilt :).